South Jersey business executive sentenced to 20 years for advertising child porn

AP PhotoAn East Greenwich man was sentenced to 20 years in prison today after he admitted to advertising child pornography.

CAMDEN — More than a decade after pleading guilty to possessing child porn, a financial officer from Gloucester County was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for advertising child pornography over the internet, including videos of infants being sexually assaulted, federal authorities said.

As part of his newest plea agreement, Robert J. Paratore, 47, of East Greenwich also has agreed to provide law enforcement with information about his own abuse of eight minors, authorities said.

That investigation is ongoing, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman’s office, which would not give any additional information about the case involving those children.

Paratore, who in recent years served as CFO of a biosciences company in Thorofare, admitted in federal court that he advertised and shared his 76-gigabyte collection of child pornography over the internet using peer-to-peer file-sharing software, authorities said. They cited case documents and statements made in September when Paratore pleaded guilty in Camden.

Officials said the titles of the files Paratore offered "graphically described the ages of the victims and the acts of sexual assault which had been recorded." In addition, a federal document filed in 2009 lists 20 titles, describes the videos as "obscene" and details attacks on children.

According to authorities, from as early as May 2009 Paratore used his work computer to download computer files that contained child pornography. Law enforcement officials who executed a search warrant at Paratore’s workplace also found more than 100 child porn CDs or DVDs in his truck parked outside, Fishman’s office said.

An online Bloomberg Businessweek profile says Paratore has some 22 years of financial planning, accounting and tax experience and holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Delaware.

In 2000, Paratore pleaded guilty to possessing more than 4,600 images of child pornography. Fishman’s office said he received 18 months in prison in that case.

The 20-year sentence U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle handed down today took the previous conviction into consideration, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Paratore also was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release, which will take effect after his release from prison.